


All Things Considered

by tornandfrayed



Series: An Education [2]
Category: The West Wing
Genre: Donna x college, F/M, Santos Administration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:54:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26383714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tornandfrayed/pseuds/tornandfrayed
Summary: “So, first day of school.""I’ve got my backpack packed and everything.”
Relationships: Josh Lyman/Donna Moss
Series: An Education [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1925722
Comments: 8
Kudos: 63





	All Things Considered

**Author's Note:**

> A sequel, of sorts, to my previous story Age Differentials.

“Are you nervous?”

Donna looked up from where she was bent organizing her purse, “I wasn’t until you started asking me that every hour.”

“I’m sorry.” Annabeth sighed, “I’m just so excited for you. College is so fun.”

“Well I’m 33 with a full-time job,” looking between her bag and her equally as organized desk, she grabbed one last highlighter for good measure, “so something tells me our experiences will be different.”

Without so much as a knock, Josh burst through her office doors, “Oh great,” he sighed, slightly out of breath, “You’re still here.”

“Only just.”

Annabeth gathered her planner from the coffee table and stood up walking towards to the open door, “Don’t mind her. She’s just nervous.”

“ _Annabeth_!”

“And I’m leaving,” she said brightly, closing the office door behind her. 

“So, first day of school,” Josh broached, with his hands in his pockets trying to appear casual, like he hadn’t just jogged the length of the building.

Donna glanced one last time across the room making sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. Satisfied, she picked up her purse and hoisted it on her shoulder, “I’ve got my backpack packed and everything.”

“Yeah?” Josh smiled, the faint shadows of his dimples forming on his cheeks, “You have your lunchbox and pencil case too?”

Donna huffed as she walked towards where Josh was perched by her door, “Are we done with this bit?”

She hated the knowing looks she had gotten from others on the staff, them telling her how exciting college was and how much they loved it. She knew they meant well, but it only served to remind her that this was something she should have done years ago. Instead, she was thirty-three and surrounded by incredibly smart and successful people looking at her like she was a kindergartner being sent off to primary school. 

Once she was close enough to reach, Josh ran his hand though her hair, tucking it delicately behind her ear, “You’re nervous?” 

“No,” Donna cringed, “Yes. Maybe a little?”

“Don’t be.” He ran his hands lightly over her forearms, “It’s exciting.”

“So, I’ve heard.” Donna rolled her eyes and stepped out of his embrace, making her way out of her office for the evening. 

Josh trotted behind her as they exited the East Wing, “Plus, there’s still time to change your major. I mean, government, history, philosophy, even economics, that’s where the action is at.”

“I’m perfectly satisfied with my choice of major, thank you.”

“You say that now, but historical precedent would disagree.” 

Donna cast him a sideways glare as they made their way down the stairs, resenting the allusion to her previous college experience. This time was different. _She_ was different. “You done?” she added, perhaps a little more sharply than was warranted.

“Ahkay.”

They walked in a heavy silence for a moment, but realizing this was Josh’s version of being supportive, Donna tried not to punish him with her foul mood. “I’m totally telling President Bartlet you think economics is cool,” she teased, bumping his shoulder with her own.

The moment of tension melted away and Josh sighed in relief, taking the opportunity to put his arm around her waist, “I never said it was cool.”

“He’s going to lecture you for hours and _hours_ and _hours_.” 

“Great.” He said, as they exited the lobby and moved to stand over the covered entrance. “I’ll make sure you’re with me when he does.” Now that they were stationary, he pulled her into a loose embrace, “So, do you know where you’re going? Do you want me to come with you? The Secret Service can drive.”

“It’s 10 minutes away.” Donna gave him a baffled smile, “I’ll be fine.

“You sure?” Josh put a hand underneath her chin, tipping her head up so he could press a chaste kiss on her lips, “It’s no problem.”

“Josh,” Donna leaned away from him, surprised by his uncharacteristic public display of affection, “It’s the middle of the day. You can’t leave. And you’re being weird, what’s going on?”

“Nothing! Nothing. It’s just a big moment. I’m excited for you. And I’m,” he added lowly, “you know, proud of you.” 

“Well, thank you.” Donna stood on the tips of her toes and decided to take advantage of his uncharacteristic mood, giving him another kiss, “That means a lot.”

Josh kept his forehead pressed against hers even as she lowered herself from the balls of her feet, “I just—I can’t help but feel like you would have done this a long time ago if it weren’t for me.”

“Ah.” Donna raised her eyebrows, “There it is.”

“What?” Josh leaned back, “There what is?”

“The Josh Lyman ego,” she teased.

“What? No.” Josh shook his head, “That’s not what this is. It’s about _you_. I’m showing concern for _you_.”

“ _No_ , you’re blaming yourself,” Donna poked his chest lightly.

“Well I should have let you do this years ago,” he said as he grabbed hold of her wrist and held her hand to his heart. “Think of where you could be now.”

“Chief of Staff to the First Lady of the United States?” She eyed him skeptically. 

“Well, no, probably not. But who knows?”

“Exactly,” Donna sighed “Who knows? We can’t keep re-litigating the past decade, and I don’t know about you,” she reached down and grabbed his other hand, threading her fingers through hers, “but I’m pretty happy with how things worked out. All things considered.”

“All things considered?” Josh brought their intertwined hands up to his lips and kissed the back of her hand, “Yeah, I am too.”

“Now,” Donna smoothed her skirt and stepped away from him towards the exit, “I need to leave. I don’t want to be late for my first class.”

“Yeah, you gotta get there before all the seats in the back are taken,” he joked as he eyed her appreciatively. 

Donna looked at him like she did not believe he had ever sat anywhere _but_ the very front of the class. Catching her eye, Josh threw his hands up, “What? I’m kidding. Anyway, a gunner like you would definitely be in the front row.” Donna scoffed, but Josh put an arm around her shoulders and started walking towards the street exit, “C’mon, let me at least put you into a cab.”   


**Author's Note:**

> What's Donna's major? Josh definitely concentrated in government at Harvard, and did PPE (philosophy, politics, and economics) while at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. 
> 
> Also, a gunner is law school slang for a person who tries to answer every question the professor poses. Their hands go up like a, well, you know. They love the sound of their own voice, and are generally incredibly annoying to the rest of the class. Josh was definitely a gunner.
> 
> Thank you, as always, for your incredibly kind words. Your comments and kudos are appreciated!
> 
> If you're interested, come hang out with me on [tumblr](https://torn--and--frayed.tumblr.com/)


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